Tuesday, July 22, 2014

How do you feel about 20% of Americans owning nearly 90% of the country's wealth?
Your answer to this question will determine your reaction to this movie.

It's a sequel to the 2013 film, which was generally dismissed as a "clunker." The Movie Slut missed that one, but heard this year's installment was superior, so she gave it a try. And is happy she did.

The action takes place in 2023. Life is peachy for the wealthy and they're determined to keep it this way. Which brings us to the annual purge— a 24 hour stretch when all crimes can be committed without repercussions. It's a bad guy's paradise and serves to reduce the population. You know, less drain on resources.

Guess who is culled from the year's census? Not the wealthiest 20%, of course. They call themselves the "New Founding Fathers." But they're The Enemy to the rebels determined to change the status quo.

The Purge: Anarchy is an edge-of-your-seat thriller and despite the futuristic time frame, a good old fashioned battle between good and evil.

Michael (Liam Neeson) is the main person in Third Person. He's a writer who writes in third person. If he wrote in first person, this would be an easier movie to understand. But probably not as good.

Michael's story is a tragic one and he's holed up in a Parisian hotel to write it. He has a wife back home (Kim Basinger), and a lover in Paris, (Olivia Wilde.) And then there are a bunch of other characters, also with sad and tragic stories.

Screen writer and director Paul Haggis also gave us the amazing Crash, another movie with interlocking stories. But he's not working with the same mold in this flick. And despite what some critics said, in the end, moviegoers will know what Third Person is all about and why Michael is writing in third person.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

If there's anything scarier than a bad guy with a gun, it's a snarling ape with a gun.

And you'll see plenty of them in the the eighth Planet of the Apes movie. (In case you're wondering, the first was in 1968 and starred Charlton Heston.)

This sequel follows the 2011 film in which James Franco is a scientist, who adopts and educates a baby chimp he names Caesar. Now, Caesar is all grown up and the leader of the ape pack.

Alas, a virulent strain of simian flu decimated the human population. One group of survivors lives in an apocalyptic San Francisco. They must go across the bay to rebuild a power plant. And Eeeeeee, that's where the apes live.

That's all the Movie Slut will give away. But she will say this was a terrific addition to the franchise and she's looking forward to the next installment in 2016.

Chef is a lot like the Olive Garden. It serves up quantity. Not quality.

Having said that, the flick mixes together a bunch of fine ingredients. Just too many of them.

It's a foodie movie, of course. It's also a family flick. It's also a road trip film. Those are the major ingredients. But then it adds a pinch of this, a sprinkle of that and a few garnishes. Slow cook for one hour and fifty-five minutes and serve with popcorn

There's lots to like in this earnest movie. Too bad you can't tell a waiter to "Hold the schmaltz."

About Me

My name is Barbara Nachman and I'm the Movie Slut. A tub of popcorn and a dark theater is all it takes to turn me on.
From "Shine" to "Scream," from "Psycho" to "Sicko," from "African Queen" to "Queen Blood," from "Butterfield 8" to "Eight-Legged Monsters," I celebrate them all.
My love of film began in high school when I'd sneak downstairs at night to watch "The Late Show" and "The Late Late Show."
Now, movies are a religion. The dark theater, the retreat from reality, and often a message to take home. My favorite flicks remind me to seize the moment, to never give up, and to always remember that "Tomorrow is another movie day."